That Terrible Noise

The pivotal second round of games began today with Group A kicking off the action.  There were some exciting moments today, with the Czechs claiming a much needed win with two goals inside the first 6 minutes of play.  Also, co-hosts Poland overcame a 1-0 deficit to draw with Russia, thanks to Jakub Blaszczykowski's powerful 57th minute equalizer.

While it was yet another entertaining day at Euro 2012, the thing that stood out most to me was that awful noise.  If you've paid any attention to the Euros thus far, you know the sound I'm talking about (that high pitched, nails on the chalkboard sound that make you want to mute your TV).

The Zozulica, Poland-Ukraine's version of the Vuvuzela, is the culprit behind the noise.


Today wasn't the first time I've heard that God-awful noise.  It just seemed about 5x as loud and annoying in today's Poland-Russia match.  Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today.

Either way, do these major tournaments really need these noisemakers?  Did South Africa set the precedent that every major tournament has to introduce a culturally significant instrument now?  I sure hope not.  It's up to Brazil now to put an end to this, and to show us that the roars of a crowd are enough.

Here's an introduction to the Zozulica, if you've yet to hear it.

Not so bad, right?  Now multiply that sound by thousands.